diastema

American  

[dahy-uh-stee-muh] / ˌdaɪ əˈsti mə /

noun

plural

diastemata

1. Cell Biology. the modified protoplasm at the equator of a cell, existing before mitotic division.

2. Dentistry. a space between two teeth, especially a space between a canine and an incisor of the upper jaw into which a lower canine occludes.

---

diastema British  

/ ˌdaɪəˈstiːmə /

noun

1. an abnormal space, fissure, or cleft in a bodily organ or part

2. a gap between the teeth

---

Etymology

Origin of diastema

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin < Greek: interval, equivalent to diastē, variant stem of diastánai to stand apart + -ma noun suffix denoting the result of action

Example Sentences

These days Ms. Hutton is just one in a roster of celebrities and runway stars embracing what is known in orthodontic circles as a midline diastema.

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2012

From B. brachygnathus, B. kolbi differs in: molar row longer; m3 and jaw larger; diastema longer; masseteric ridge not so far forward; molars more depressed.

From Speciation and Evolution of the Pygmy Mice, Genus Baiomys by Packard, Robert L.

The first premolar is not preserved, but its alveolus indicates that it was a single-rooted tooth, placed behind the canine after the intervention of a very short diastema.

From On The Affinities of Leptarctus primus of Leidy American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VI, Article VIII, pp. 229-331. by Wortman, Jacob Lawson

Three specimens lack a diastema and 17 specimens have a diastema.

From Morphological Variation in a Population of the Snake, Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard by Cole, Charles J.

From B. musculus, B. sawrockensis differs in: over-all size of jaw and molar row less; diastema more acutely curved; incisors shorter; anterior median fold of m1 slightly deeper.

From Speciation and Evolution of the Pygmy Mice, Genus Baiomys by Packard, Robert L.